I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a FAX server apparatus interactively communicating with FAX machines at remote branch locations. In particular, this invention provides a unification of the FAX forms creation process and the creation of a template used for interpreting FAX forms completed at the remote branch location. The created FAX form is both sent to preselected remote branch locations and is stored and subsequently used as a template for comparing against received completed FAX forms.
II. Description of the Prior Art
FAX machines are widely used and virtually essential pieces of business equipment used to conduct daily business efficiently and quickly. Typically, forms are manually fed into a FAX machine at an originating location and transmitted to a receiving location. A user at the receiving location typically completes the forms and transmits the completed forms back to the originating location via FAX. The received completed FAX form is subsequently manually processed where requested information or confirmations of orders are faxed back to the user. This manual processing of FAX forms is relatively time-consuming and inefficient. The process of being an operator manually involved in the loop of processing a FAX does not realize a full potential of modern-day FAX machines or recognition algorithms executable by computers to recognize printed material.
The quality of FAX transmissions has greatly improved in recent years. By recognizing the capacity of modern-day computers to process printed documents, the human intervention in processing completed forms via FAX can be substantially reduced.
One such attempt to reduce human intervention is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,333 to Baran et al. Baran et al. teaches an interactive facsimile system and method of information retrieval incorporating markings on transmitted faxes and readable by a receiving FAX server. The receiving FAX server responds to received faxes by identifying the markings and retrieves prestored information from a data base corresponding to the markings and subsequently transmits the prestored information back to the requesting end. In lieu of the markings, information incorporated onto the received fax can be mechanically read and recognized to interpret the information desired from the requestor. This method of information retrieval is suited to respond to subscribers wishing further information on products advertised in trade magazines. The reader transmits the bar code portions of advertisements of interest or makes marks on a form whereupon the receiving FAX server processes the request and pulls prestored information from a data base and subsequently transmits the information sought possibly on the same telephone call. This system is limited to simply responding to requests for data already stored in a previously set up data base. Baran et al. assumes FAX forms already exist and that a template or other means exists elsewhere to interpret such sheets. Baran et al. is silent on the process of creation of forms or the processing thereof.